The Palazzo Chiablese is a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

of the

Royal Palace of Turin The Royal Palace of Turin ( it, Palazzo Reale di Torino) is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in the city of Turin in Northern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was later modernized by Christine Marie of France (1606–1 ...

, in

Northwest Italy Northwest Italy ( it, Italia nord-occidentale or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northwes ...

. It was the residence of the

Duke of Chablais The title Duke of Chablais ( it, Duca di Chiablese, french: duc de Chablais) was a subsidiary title of the Duke of Savoy and later the King of Sardinia, both of the House of Savoy. The title is named after the province of Chablais, whose capi ...

first and then of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, and Ferdinando,

Duke of Genoa Duke of Genoa was a subsidiary title of the King of Sardinia. It was first awarded in 1815 to Prince Charles Felix of Savoy, who became the King of Sardinia in 1821. Upon the death of King Charles Felix in 1831, the title was given to Prince F ...

. Today it is home to a cultural collection honouring the history of

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. It is open to the public Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 4 pm to 8pm and during press conferences, cultural events, concerts.

History

Located in ''Piazza San Giovanni'', the Palazzo Chiablese is part of the

which was a residence of the

Kings of Sardinia Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

. As an extension of the palace, it was the home of

Maurice of Savoy Maurice of Savoy (10 January 1593 – 4 October 1657, Turin) was a Prince of Savoy and a 17th-century cardinal. Life He was the son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain. Aged 14, in 1607, he became ...

and his wife Luisa Christina of Savoy before they moved to the '' Vigna di Madama'' outside the capital. It was then used as offices by the court. From 1753, it served as the residence of Benedetto of Savoy, son of

Charles Emmanuel III Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death. Biography He was born in Turin to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and his first wife the French Anne Marie d'Orléans. Hi ...

and

Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine (15 October 1711 3 July 1741) was Queen of Sardinia as the wife of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. She was born a Princess of Lorraine as the daughter of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orlé ...

. Consequently, it was named after his courtesy title of

Chablais carried out various improvements to the interior of the palace under the direction of

Benedetto Alfieri 180px, Benedetto Alfieri from the treatise of "Leben des Vittorio Alfieri" Benedetto Innocenzo Alfieri (8 June 1699 - 9 December 1767) was an Italian architect, a representative of the late-Baroque or Rococo style. Biography and works Born in R ...

, a popular Savoyard architect of the era. After the death of Chablais it was the home of his wife

Maria Anna of Savoy Maria Anna of Savoy ( it, Maria Anna Ricciarda Carolina Margherita Pia; 19 September 1803 – 4 May 1884) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (see Grand title of the Empress of Austria) by marriage to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. Biogra ...

who willed it to her brother Charles Felix, Duke of Genoa who lived there with his wife Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily. The former died here in 1831. The building was the seat of the provisional government of France during the Napoleonic occupation.Alberto Virgilio, ''Napoleon'' Turin, Turin, rep.1989, ed. Viglongo It was the home of Camillo Borghese and his wife

Pauline Bonaparte Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese ( French: ''Pauline Marie Bonaparte''; 20 October 1780 – 9 June 1825), better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess cons ...

. Restored to the House of Savoy, it was later the birthplace of

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to Umberto I. Life Early life Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabe ...

, daughter of the

and later

Queen of Italy Queen of Italy (also known as Terrace) is a solitaire card game played with two decks of playing cards. It is a very strategic game that rewards careful planning, since the cards that potentially block the game are presented at the start, and with ...

as wife of

Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

. A century later the palace was bombed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, which caused considerable damage and many furnishings and decorative elements were lost. The property passed to the State in the 1950s and it was then used as the Superintendence headquarters. Later on the palace was converted to provide the dormitories, kitchens and facilities for the pupils of the Istituto Nazionale per le Figlie dei Militari Italiani (National Institute for Italian Soldiers' Daughters) which was installed there. Until 1995 it was home to the city's cinema archive when it became the home of the ''Soprintendenza per i Beni Ambientali, Architettonici e Archeologici'' – The "General Directorate for the scenery, fine arts, architecture and contemporary art". It is closed to the public except on special occasions.

References

{{Coord missing, Italy Houses completed in the 18th century Residences of the Royal House of Savoy Chiablese Baroque architecture in Turin